The story of 5,000 years of Chinese history

The story of 5,000 years of Chinese history part I: Liu Bowen asked for rain

　　In the war of unification, Ming Taizu relied on a group of brave and good generals to fight for the city and seize the land: he also recruited some strategists to help him come up with advice. Among these strategists, Liu Ji is the most famous.

　　Liu Ji, also known as Liu Bowen, was originally an official of the Yuan Dynasty, and because he was not satisfied with the political corruption of the Yuan Dynasty, he often wrote articles satirizing current affairs, and was later dismissed and returned to his hometown of Qingtian (in present-day Zhejiang). When Zhu Yuanzhang's army reached eastern Zhejiang, he invited Liu Ji out as his adviser. In the war to defeat Chen Youyu and Zhang Shicheng, Liu Ji came up with many strategies. Because of his resourcefulness, he gained the trust of Ming Taizu. Ming Taizu compared him to Zhang Liang in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty.

　　Liu Ji is not only good at strategy, but also proficient in astronomy. In ancient times, astronomical phenomena were often associated with the auspiciousness of the human world. Liu Ji carefully observes the situation in the world, considers the problems thoughtfully, and his predictions are often more accurate. But everyone thought it had something to do with his mastery of astronomy. Folklore sees Liu Bowen as a figure of an "uncertain prophet".

　　When Zhu Yuanzhang was the King of Wu, there was a drought in Jiangnan. Liu Ji was in charge of astronomy, and Zhu Yuanzhang asked him why there was a great drought and how he could get it to rain. Liu Ji said: "It has not rained because the people in the prison have been wronged. ”

　　Zhu Yuanzhang believed Liu Ji's words and sent him to investigate the prisoners in the prison. When Liu Ji checked, there were indeed many unjust cases. After he made it clear to Zhu Yuanzhang, he redressed the unjust case and released the wrongly arrested person.

　　Seeking rain and peace are two different things that are not related. Liu Ji also couldn't have the spell of asking for rain. However, he understood astronomy and might have observed that the weather was about to change, so he took this opportunity to advise Zhu Yuanzhang to rehabilitate the unjust case. Sure enough, within a few days, the clouds were thick, and then there was a heavy rain. Liu Ji took advantage of Zhu Yuanzhang's happiness and advised him to formulate laws to act according to law and prevent the wrongful killing of innocent people.

　　After Ming Taizu ascended the throne, he asked Liu Ji to be the imperial historian and responsible for judicial work. Liu Ji strictly enforced the law. Once, one of the close associates of The Minister Li Shanchang broke the law. Li Shanchang was a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty and a compatriot of Ming Taizu, and his influence was very large. However, Liu Ji ignored Li Shanchang's obstruction and played Ming Taizu and killed the henchman. Of course, this incident aroused the resentment of Li Shanchang.

　　It just so happened that this year, the capital was in a big drought again, and Ming Taizu was very anxious. Liu Ji took the opportunity to tell Ming Taizu: "The dead soldiers in the war, their wives need to be compensated; Some of the craftsmen who died in the fortified city were still exposed in the fields, and no one buried them.

　　If you do these things, maybe it will rain. ”

　　Ming Taizu was bent on rain, and of course quickly approved Liu Ji's request, comforted the soldier's wife, and buried the bones of the craftsmen. Although Liu Ji did a good thing, relying on this method of persuasion was not reliable after all. This time, his prediction was inaccurate, and after ten days, the sun was still scorching, and not a drop of rain had fallen.

　　This made Ming Taizu angry, and coupled with Li Shanchang saying bad things next to him, Liu Ji could not help but be afraid. At this time, his wife fell ill and died in her hometown. Liu Ji took a leave of absence to return to his hometown.

　　In fact, Ming Taizu was particularly important to Liu Ji. Once, Ming Taizu wanted to worship Liu Ji as his chancellor. Liu Ji hurriedly resigned: "Choosing a minister is like picking a beam." To pick a large wood, if you use small wood as a beam and pillar, the house is in danger of collapsing. ”

　　Later, Ming Taizu removed Li Shanchang from his post and wanted to ask Liu Ji to come out as prime minister. Liu Ji said: "I am anxious and cannot tolerate bad people: even if I am older, I cannot bear such a heavy responsibility." There are talents in the world, and I hope that Your Majesty will find them well. ”

　　Liu Ji returned to Qingtian and lived a life of seclusion, never talking to anyone about his past merits. Qingtian County Ling repeatedly asked to see him, but Liu Jiwan refused. Once, the county order changed into civilian clothes and dressed up as a countryman to visit Liu Ji. Liu Ji was washing his feet, saw a stranger, quickly put on his shoes, invited the visitors into the house, and enthusiastically left food.

　　Liu Ji asked for the name of the person who came, and the county order had to say truthfully: "I am Qingtian Zhi County, and I have come to see Mr. Qingtian." Liu Ji was taken aback and quickly got up, claiming to be an ordinary citizen under his rule. After that, I never saw the county order again.

　　Liu Ji lived in his hometown and was still very concerned about the affairs of the Ming Dynasty. Once, Ming Taizu sent someone to Qingtian to ask Liu Ji about the celestial auspiciousness. Liu Ji said: "Winter has just fallen severe frost and snow: the next is the Yang spring season. Now that the country is stable, I hope that His Majesty's administration will be a little more lenient. ”